A team of researchers at Columbia University School of Engineering and Applied Science has developed an innovative technique for enhancing chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy in the treatment of solid tumors. The technique involves engineering E. coli bacteria, which have been modified to effectively interact with tumor cells and deposit a synthetic antigen that can then be targeted by CAR T cells. This approach has the potential to significantly improve the effectiveness of CAR T cell therapy in solid tumors, a challenging area of treatment that has not seen the same success as CAR T cell therapy for blood-borne cancers.
CAR T cells are a type of specialized white blood cell that have been engineered to recognize and attack cancer cells. While CAR T cell therapy has shown promise in blood-borne cancers such as leukemia, targeting solid tumors has been more difficult due to their dense composition, irregular blood supply, and the presence of biochemical signals similar to those found in healthy tissue. Using CAR T cells to target natural tumor antigens in solid tumors has not proven to be effective enough in killing the cancer cells.
The researchers created a method to guide CAR T cells to the tumor cells by delivering a synthetic antigen to the tumors, making them more susceptible to CAR T cell therapy. This approach has the potential to broaden the applicability of CAR T cell therapy to a wider range of cancers and increase the effectiveness of tumor cell killing by T cells.
The use of engineered bacteria to deposit synthetic antigens in tumors represents a promising new strategy for enhancing CAR T cell therapy. The bacteria’s natural ability to accumulate in tumor cores makes this approach potentially applicable to a wide range of solid tumors, without the need for individualized customization for each tumor type or patient.
“Our probiotic platform enables CAR-T cells to attack a broad range of tumor types,” said Tal Danino, a researcher involved in the study. “Traditional CAR-T therapies have relied on targeting natural tumor antigens. This is the first example of pairing engineered T cells with engineered bacteria to deliver synthetic antigens safely, systemically, and effectively to solid tumors. This could have a significant impact on the treatment of many cancers.”
Additionally, the researchers envision new possibilities for combining the benefits of tumor-homing bacteria and CAR-T cells, creating a foundation for engineered communities of living therapies. This innovative approach represents a significant advancement in the development of effective treatments for solid tumors.
The study detailing this technique, titled Probiotic-guided CAR-T cells for solid tumor targeting, was published in the journal Science.
Source: Columbia University
